2008 Woodie Awards
Donate your sneakers to make safe playgrounds
Jennifer Spinelli
Issue date: 3/29/07 Section: Features
Used sneakers are being collected in a box outside of the University Commons, across from Public Safety.
"The sneakers will be used for padding on a playground so that when little children are plying if they fall they may not be hurt," said Dr. Grant Walker, Associate Professor of Sociology.
According to Dr. Walker when the box fills up he is emptying it and holding on to them until he can bring them to Mike Zembruski, the recycling enforcement officer of Fairfield.
"[There is] no number that we are looking for started for earth day and there is talk that there may have been a competition with Fairfield, but we will keep collecting here because it is not something that we should just do for earth day, so we will keep collecting sneakers as long as we can," said Walker.
Earth day is April 22 this year, the sneaker drive is just one of the many events that are happening on campus beginning April 12.
According to Walker environmental films are going to be shown every night of the week of April 16 through Earth Day on the 22.
Wednesday, April 18, there will be a live streaming web cast from Nassau Wildlife Federation Ecology Program which will be shown on a big screen either in a classroom or media studio starting at 3 p.m.
It will feature people from all across the country describing what they are doing for the earth with a live presentation from Al Gore.
According to Dr. Walker the idea to collect and recycle sneakers was an extra idea to contribute more for earth day.
"We could be recycling far more than we do, all those sneakers are getting burned with plastics and other materials and put into the air which everyone is breathing and with a little effort and inconvenience those things could be used for other things," said Walker.
"In 2001-2002 students and I [Walker] began independent paper recycling and collected paper from offices and by the end of the year we had 2 tons of paper and had a university truck to deliver it to a company in Stratford," said Walker.
"The sneakers will be used for padding on a playground so that when little children are plying if they fall they may not be hurt," said Dr. Grant Walker, Associate Professor of Sociology.
According to Dr. Walker when the box fills up he is emptying it and holding on to them until he can bring them to Mike Zembruski, the recycling enforcement officer of Fairfield.
"[There is] no number that we are looking for started for earth day and there is talk that there may have been a competition with Fairfield, but we will keep collecting here because it is not something that we should just do for earth day, so we will keep collecting sneakers as long as we can," said Walker.
Earth day is April 22 this year, the sneaker drive is just one of the many events that are happening on campus beginning April 12.
According to Walker environmental films are going to be shown every night of the week of April 16 through Earth Day on the 22.
Wednesday, April 18, there will be a live streaming web cast from Nassau Wildlife Federation Ecology Program which will be shown on a big screen either in a classroom or media studio starting at 3 p.m.
It will feature people from all across the country describing what they are doing for the earth with a live presentation from Al Gore.
According to Dr. Walker the idea to collect and recycle sneakers was an extra idea to contribute more for earth day.
"We could be recycling far more than we do, all those sneakers are getting burned with plastics and other materials and put into the air which everyone is breathing and with a little effort and inconvenience those things could be used for other things," said Walker.
"In 2001-2002 students and I [Walker] began independent paper recycling and collected paper from offices and by the end of the year we had 2 tons of paper and had a university truck to deliver it to a company in Stratford," said Walker.
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